City debates over potential stadium
By Matt Rupel
Although the Santa Clara election process may be over, a whole new set of political debates is beginning to emerge as another election comes around: the general local election in June, the deciding factor of whether or not the San Francisco 49ers football team moves to Santa Clara.
This election may not hold the attention of the average college student. While youth political activism may be at an all-time national high, local politics has not managed to gain as much youth attention. Additionally, Santa Clara students come from all around the globe, some come from other states, some from other countries.
"I don't think a lot of college kids pay attention to local politics because it isn't even relevant to us," said Freshman John Towers.
The issue this year, however, has the potential to impact student life in a big way. One of the measures on the City of Santa Clara ballot, Measure J, is a proposition to build a new football stadium for the San Francisco 49ers near the Great America amusement park.
The potential effects of this measure are drastic. If it passes, there could soon be NFL football games every few Sundays during the football season. The job market in the area would open up, as businesses near the stadium would flourish.
"Aside from bringing more revenue to the city, Measure J would mean more jobs and a world-class entertainment center just a few miles away," said Santa Clara City Council member Jaime Matthews. "There would be soccer games, football games and concerts there." Matthews also said that there would be spots along a nearby creek trail for passersby to stop and look in on the stadium, free of charge.
There are also a number of potential problems that could come from a football stadium in the area. Traffic and increased crime rates commonly accompany any major sporting arena.
The stadium could also bring adverse consequences to students' academic performance. Having regularly scheduled NFL games just a short distance from the university could easily add to distractions on weekends, when students already seem to have difficulty focusing. Students would likely spend Sundays at the stadium, watching the game, or at a party related to the football game.
"The measure is a mix-up of our priorities," said Karen Hardy, a board member of the Santa Clara Plays Fair council against Measure J and the past city-planning commissioner for eight and a half years. Hardy oversaw many of the improvements to El Camino Real near the university.
According to a poll by the Santa Clara Business Journal, 58 percent of the respondents favored the plans for the new stadium while only 31 percent did not.
The official measurement says that the city will lease the property for football games and other events, and that city funds won't be used to fund construction of the stadium and that the city will have no obligation to operate or maintain the stadium. The official ballot proposal can be found on the Santa Clara County website.
Opponents of the measure claim that the proposal is misleading about the actual costs of the stadium.
According to the No on J website, santaclaraplaysfair.org, the proposal was written by the 49ers and sidestepped city council members.
Cedar Fairs Amusement, the company that owns the Great America amusement park, has opposed the stadium and the possible effects it would have on the city. Initially, the company sent several letters to the city council expressing concern about the stadium's possible effects on the park.
In their most recent attempt to stall the measure, Cedar Fairs sued the City of Santa Clara and the San Francisco 49ers for ignoring environmental regulations in the planning of the stadium.
The lawsuit will not, however, prevent the measure from appearing on the ballot.
Mail in ballots began on May 4, but the official voting day is June 8.
Contact Matt Rupel at mrupel@scu.edu or (408) 554-4546
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